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About

Lauren Quinn is a writer, editor and teacher. Her work has appeared in The Believer, Guernica, Guardian, Hazlitt, The Rumpus and Best American Travel Writing 2015. She has been featured in New York Times’ “What We’re Reading,” New Yorker‘s “Weekend Reading” and on Longform.org. She is a former contributing editor for Vela.

Lauren is currently at work on a young adult novel. She holds a Masters in Education from UCLA and teaches high school English in East Los Angeles. She has previously taught kindergarten in Hanoi and freelanced in Phnom Penh. She will always be an Oakland girl at heart.

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2 thoughts on “About”

Hi. REALLY liked your essay The -Ism and the Alcohol. I was particularly interested in the “banality of addiction” theme. I’ve blogged myself about the this topic (http://bit.ly/1nDwlHt). Very tired of the glorification of the Hunter Thompsons and William Burroughs of the world. Who knows how many young lives have been led astray by that type of thinking.

My fondest hope is that there will be a landmark book or movie, preferably aimed a the YA crowd, that tackles the suffering artist notion head-on.

I recently read “The Ism and the Alcohol”, and I really enjoyed it. I am new to recovery (nearly six months of clean time) and am surprised how much sobriety seems to suit me. The glamorization of the disease found in most addiction narratives seemingly undermines the truth and the power of the story itself.

My own path to recovery was/is rather mundane: I was sober for two months, and decided to enter an outpatient program so I could “reprogram” my damaged mental circuitry and relearn how to live without alcohol. I didn’t hit rock bottom, I wasn’t in any legal or financial trouble, and-oddly enough-most of my loved ones never realized I had a problem until I told them about it.

Anyway, my point is I wish there were more items in media and popular culture that realistically portray the experience of the addict. There are so many different and unique stories out there, instead of the generic “hit rock bottom, had that enlightening and illumination moment of realization, made amends, all is well, the end” template. Also, I wish there were more stories that really helped those without addiction problems better understand the addict mentality or mindset. Though I am not a big fan of most of his work, I often tell those interested in understanding addicts better to read King’s “The Shining”. If you have any recommendations for further reading I am all ears (a disclaimer: though I am currently completing a degree in Accounting, I was a Lit major in another lifetime, and I remain a gluttonous and veracious reader).